Golden State Warriors bounce back to beat Utah Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY -- Warriors point guard Stephen Curry zipped through the lane with an around-the-back dribble and finished the highlight-reel play by converting a circus layup over Utah forward Derrick Favors, with the foul.

Curry punched the air and let out a yell. His basket put the Warriors up 19 and provided the exclamation point for another emphatic statement. Golden State accomplished two things Wednesday in Utah. One: recording another impressive road win, 94-83 over the host Utah Jazz. Two: finishing off a team.

"It's a big road win for us, especially after the way we finished the game at home against L.A. this past weekend," Curry said. "We were on a mission to come out and play well and keep our road swag. ... Everybody stepped up and played a physical game and did what we had to do to get the job done tonight."

In their first game since Saturday's heartbreaking home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State played with the kind of confidence and edginess that has highlighted its season.

The Warriors are 11-6 on the road, tied with San Antonio for the most road wins in the NBA.

"That's just a mentality we have," rookie forward Draymond Green said. "When we're on the road, we just have the feeling that it's us against the world. It shows in the game -- the camaraderie that we bring, the toughness that we bring. You kind of want to have that same mentality at home. But we have great fans, so it's hard to feel like that at home."

The Warriors defense limited the Jazz to 38.6 percent shooting and set a season best for fewest points allowed, and that was after the Jazz reserves made a run in garbage time.

The quartet of big men for the Jazz -- Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Favors and Enes Kanter -- was productive: totaling 51 points on 19 of 37 field goals. But they weren't dominant, managing just 40 points in the paint. Golden State hung close on the boards (44-43) and limited Utah to 13 second-chance points.

Jackson also played another card: Andris Biedrins.

He played 19 minutes off the bench, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. He gave the Warriors a presence in the paint.

"Andris played unbelievable tonight," forward David Lee said. "Every time we needed a big rebound, he was there. Really proud of him for staying ready."

Having limited Utah's strength, Golden State exploited its sizable backcourt advantage. Utah would have had a hard time containing the Warriors' guards. But without starting point guard Mo Williams (sprained right thumb), Utah stood no chance.

Curry finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. His shot wasn't at its best, as he was 7 of 18 from the field, but he shot the 3-pointer well (4 of 7) and put a lot of pressure on Utah's defense. If that wasn't enough, shooting guard Klay Thompson and backup point guard Jarrett Jack poured in 15 points each.

The Warriors took a 12-point lead into the half behind Curry's 18 first-half points. Thompson's 10 points in the third quarter helped the Warriors take a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter.

And there would be no Jazz comeback, no chipping away until the game was decided. After Curry's circus layup, he drilled a 3-pointer. to put Golden State ahead 82-62 with 9:10 left. Minutes later, a steal by Thompson led to a wide-open dunk by Carl Landry, putting Golden State up 88-66.

The Warriors finally finished the job right.

"We made shots, we defended the basketball," Jackson said. " ... Our guys did a great job of following the game plan, taking care of the basketball and not allowing them to dominate the paint and dominate the boards."

Lee has been on an impressive statistical tear, putting him in some elite company.

Over his past 12 games before Wednesday, Lee had scored at least 20 points, shot 50 percent or better, and grabbed at least eight rebounds. Only three other players in NBA history had maintained such a streak for a minimum of 12 games: Wilt Chamberlain. Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Shaquille O'Neal.

Stats like that are the reason Lee is being mentioned as the Warriors' first All-Star since 1997.

Lee's streak ended with Wednesday's 18-point, 7-for-16 effort.

Jack was 2 of 3 from 3-point range. He has made nine of his past 15 attempts from behind the arc. He is shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range, which is on pace for a career high. He came into this season a 35 percent shooter from 3-point range.